Exercise caution, Kashmir DC appeals to public amid Covid-19 uptick
Kashmir DC said the Covid-19 situation in the region was under control, but cautioned of possible measures and restrictions in case of a spurt.
While noting that the Covid-19 situation in Kashmir was under control, divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri on Wednesday cautioned of possible measures and restrictions in case of a spurt.
The union territory has been witnessing a slight uptick in Covid-19 infections, prompting the Kashmir health department to announce a mock drill to check pandemic-preparation on Monday. Officials have also been asked to increase testing and establish flu clinics at all health institutions.
Bidhuri, in a media in Srinagar, said, “The (Covid) situation is under control. It is being monitored. There are seasonal fluctuations like last year. So we are monitoring and there is no need to panic. But people should not take symptoms lightly and go for testing.”
“If cases increase, obviously we will have to issue guidelines for action. There is a graded action plan which we will implement. There is no need to panic but we should be careful,” he added.
The union territory has recorded a slight increase in Covid-19 cases, with 31 infections, of which 29 were in Kashmir, on Tuesday. Of the 40 and 19 cases reported on Monday and Sunday, almost half of them and all but one respectively were from Kashmir.
In view of the increase in cases, Government Medical College, Srinagar, held a meeting under its principal Masood Tanvir. “The hospital administrators were asked to prepare separate areas for Covid-19 cases in respective hospitals with intensive care support also,” a GMC spokesperson said.
As many as eight hospitals come under the control of GMC, Srinagar.
During the meeting, medical superintendents of the hospitals gave details about the preparedness regarding availability of beds, oxygen beds, equipment and logistics, and operative procedures. The heads of the department also discussed preventive and precautionary measures to be taken in hospitals.
“It was emphasised to follow and adhere to Covid appropriate behaviour, especially in hospital and health care settings,” he said.
